Quarrels & Loves

The Leaky Debacle

Summary: After a long day at the office, Hermione and Draco join their friends at the Leaky Cauldron for some drinks. When no one is looking, however, someone slips something into Hermione's drink and it's really only because Draco was paying attention that it doesn't get worse.

Twigger Warning: mentions and use of date rape drugs.

Stepping into the Leaky Cauldron was like stepping into a very bright, very exuberant fantasy world in which everyone had self-confidence, and no one worried about money. It was especially so on a Friday evening after the Ministry had locked its doors and all the workers had been sent home. Typically, Hermione would have stayed away from the Leaky, but with Draco—quite literally—dragging her by the hand inside, she had no choice but to join in the fun.

She wasn't a foreigner to the Leaky Cauldron, far from it in fact. She was friends with the barman, Tom, and knew most of the regulars by name. It was just that Friday nights were usually spent in her flat with a warm cup of tea and a good book. It was easier to relax that way. Draco, however, tended to pull her along on more adventures over the weekend and it was no longer uncommon for her to visit the Leaky Cauldron at least one Friday a month.

"Hermione!" a group cheered to her right.

Hermione grinned over at a table that held many of her Gryffindor friends. Harry and Ron were pressed into the wall while Ginny, Padma, Seamus, and Dean crowded around the small table. Glancing at Draco, she pulled away from him to greet her friends.

"You should consider a bigger table," she suggested, unable to squeeze in between Ginny and Padma.

"There isn't one available," Ginny told her, swaying slightly as she raised a glass of firewhiskey to her mouth.

A cup of butterbeer was set in front of Hermione and she turned around to see Draco smiling behind her. He sipped his glass of firewhiskey and pointed out Blaise and Pansy in the far corner.

"I'm going over there," he told her. She nodded quickly and turned back around to gulp down her butterbeer.

While Draco tended to get on well enough with her friends, she knew better than to force him around Ron. Ron was still certain Draco couldn't be trusted which made for a rather awkward dinner when Draco came around.

"Say, is that Cormac McLaggen?" Padma asked loudly, drawing the attention of the entire table as well as Cormac.

At the sight of the group in front of him, Cormac grinned. The table cheered as he stumbled over to join them, pressing in between Hermione and Padma. He already had a glass of firewhiskey that was half way gone, but seemed to be tipsy enough Hermione felt certain it wasn't his first.

"Been a while since I've seen you lot!" Cormac said. He smiled at all of them then looked at Hermione and said, "Hey, Granger."

"McLaggen," she said, nodding at him before taking another large sip of her butterbeer. She and Cormac had never been terribly close, but he was friendly enough she felt they could be considered friends.

"How's the Ministry?" he asked. Hermione shrugged and he laughed. "Not Minister yet?"

"I'm afraid it may be a few years," she replied. Cormac grinned and they talked while the rest of the table broke off into their own conversation.

At some point, Hermione noticed their group had expanded even more and the room was getting louder. Draco was still with Blaise and Pansy, but she caught him glancing at her every now and then. At some point during her third drink, he'd grinned and raised his glass at her, something that made her giggle before she could stop herself.